It’s December and already the snow is falling; 2020 has whizzed by us and let’s be honest, we can’t wait for 2021 to arrive. 

Before then, we have the small matter of Christmas, and all the preparations it requires, to contend with. As the school holidays begin, you will have to provide entertainment for your kids too. Don’t worry, you’re not alone in spinning all those plates. 

In a year where children across the country have missed some school and an awful lot of PE, there’s every chance they’ve lost a little bit of the fitness they once had. To help you tackle that, we’ve made a little list of 5 activities you can do with your kids this Christmas time, if you’ve not already booked them a place at one of our Holiday Camps that is. 

After all, what better way of keeping them busy, than keeping them active?

Tour the Christmas Lights 

Can you imagine Christmas without the festive lights decorating our homes or the streets around us? No, neither can we, and we wouldn’t have it any other way! We’ve been making kids happy for 20 years – but Christmas lights have been doing it since 1882. 

Wherever you are in the UK, we’re sure there are plenty of illuminations to make the kids marvel this winter. Let them take the lead and guide you around the neighbourhood. Some towns even run their own competition between shopkeepers to see who can produce the most elaborate festive light displays, so if you’re lucky enough to live near one of those, don’t miss it! 

And when you get back, you can bet they’ll want to up the ante with your Christmas lights next year!

Walking Bingo

Getting the whole family on board with ‘a walk’ can be a challenge in itself, so try adding a little extra enjoyment to proceedings. 

As a family, create your own bingo cards with different objects/things to find, then dig out the mittens and grab a scarf, as you and your family head out for a wintery walk around your village or favourite park. See who can fill their card first whilst on your walk. Your family cards could include things like ‘a brown dog’, ‘a pram’, ‘a robin redbreast’, ‘a Christmas tree’, ‘a yellow car’ or ‘a post box’. Use our bingo card for a head start. 

For an added activity to get their heart rates raised a little higher, why not do a little exercise with every item that’s ticked off the list? For example, if you spot a post box, you can do 5 star jumps. 

Create your own pantomime

Ask your children to choose their favourite fairy tale or story book, and work together over a few days to bring the story to life through actions and speech.  

Think about what the key parts of the story are. What do the characters need to say to each other and what do they need to do to keep the story moving and flowing? How do the characters speak? Can the children put on funny voices for different characters? Are there props, costumes or accessories that need finding or even making (we’re sure they’ll find something useful in mum or dad’s wardrobe!) 

We love the resources available at Sparklebox for free. 

Once you’ve got your very own family panto polished just how you’d like it, why not record it for family or friends who you’d love to show – and challenge them to do create their own. 

Stay Active with online resources 

Snowed in? If you can’t get outside and get active this winter, you can stay inside, and still get active. Utilising technology to get you and the kids working out is a no brainer on those colder days. So, the kids can still fire up the computer but instead of slouching on the sofa, they can get their PE kit on and get on their feet, and there are plenty of great resources to be found online. 

Earlier in the year, during the first national lockdown, we turned our attention to fighting the inactivity of children across the country, producing resources to help parents get their kids active. In just one month, more than 5,000 parents like you used our plans to help their kids Stay Active. From leaping frogs to flamingo fetch, there are activities to suit children of any age. 

If you’re looking for something more visual, Joe Wicks might be on hiatus from ‘P.E with Joe’, but he still has plenty of physical activity sessions on his channel, The Body Coach TV, to help you and the kids warm up this winter. 

Put on a puppet show

A couple of old socks, some googly eyes or pompoms, lollipop sticks, coloured paper, pipe cleaners or wool for funny hair, and glue. That’s all the kids need to create their very own puppet show. Alone, or with help, children can write their own mini playscript, and after a few rehearsals they could be ready to perform for mum and dad.  

This activity might not have them working up a sweat, but it’ll certainly get their creative thinking up and running. 

Whatever your plans this Christmas, keeping the kids active is a great way to keep them busy. If you’re looking for a super-fun multi-activity solution, why not see if there’s a Holiday Camp running in your area?